Critics’ reviews

Arctic (2018)

18 reviews from 18 publications. Critics’ score 69: 13 positive, 3 mixed, 2 negative.

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69
Positive
13
Mixed
3
Negative
2

Most critics find Arctic a gripping, stripped-down survival drama, with praise centred on Mads Mikkelsen’s nearly wordless performance. His physical commitment, expressive restraint and warmth keep the stranded man’s ordeal involving even for reviewers who find the story familiar. The favourable reviews also value the practical detail of survival, the harsh Arctic settings and a largely unsentimental approach. Several find genuine feeling in the film’s treatment of endurance and care for another person.

The disagreement concerns how long that minimalism sustains interest. Slow patches, repetition and predictable challenges recur among the reservations, while some otherwise positive reviews find the film excessively bleak or restrained. The spread is wide despite the positive majority: The Hollywood Reporter finds a repetitive grind with insufficient suspense, though it admires Mikkelsen and the cinematography. The New Yorker is less persuaded still, finding the genre treatment stale and the survival challenges increasingly absurd.

Los Angeles Times
30 January 2019 · Gary Goldstein
85*

Goldstein finds the survival drama stirring and masterful, with its minimal approach drawing viewers into the protagonist’s ordeal. He particularly praises Mads Mikkelsen’s warm, tenacious performance and the film’s quietly enveloping direction.

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IndieWire
11 May 2018 · B+ · David Ehrlich
83

Ehrlich praises the film as a compelling, humane survival story that makes endurance feel distinct from survival. He singles out Mads Mikkelsen’s nearly wordless, career-best performance and the film’s grounded, logically constructed drama.

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Variety
11 May 2018 · Critic's Pick · Owen Gleiberman
83*

Gleiberman finds the film compelling and moving, praising its unsentimental, nuts-and-bolts approach to survival. He particularly singles out Mads Mikkelsen’s restrained, absorbing performance.

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Radio Times
★★★★ · Jeremy Aspinall
80

Aspinall describes the survival adventure as gruelling but gripping. He praises its minimalist approach and the tension of its harsh Arctic ordeal.

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Time Out
1 May 2019 · ★★★★ · Joshua Rothkopf
80

Rothkopf finds the survival film dramatically compelling, praising Mads Mikkelsen’s performance. He singles out Mikkelsen’s charisma as the backbone of the snowbound story.

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The Guardian
11 May 2018 · festival review · Gwilym Mumford
75*

The critic calls the film a gripping, assured survival thriller, though it only becomes absorbing once its lead is pushed out of his routine. Mads Mikkelsen’s intensely committed performance is singled out for praise.

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Total Film
13 May 2018 · festival review · Jordan Farley
75*

Farley finds the film familiar and at times overly despairing, but says it is well worth seeking out. He singles out Mads Mikkelsen’s intensely committed performance and the film’s stark, visually ambitious depiction of the Arctic.

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Screen Daily
11 May 2018 · festival review · Lee Marshall
70*

The available text presents the film as a gripping survival drama. It singles out Mads Mikkelsen’s downed-airman struggle in the tundra, but the full review is inaccessible.

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Vulture
1 February 2019 · David Edelstein
70*

Edelstein finds Arctic grim and excruciating but ultimately enjoyable, saying he liked it a lot. He praises the stunning Arctic settings and Mads Mikkelsen’s compelling screen presence.

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The New York Times
31 January 2019
64*

The page is inaccessible, so the critic’s verdict cannot be established. No specific praise or complaint can be verified from the available text.

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Slant Magazine
31 January 2019 · ★★½/4 · Derek Smith
62

The review finds the film effective and spare, though occasionally repetitive and weighed down by its score. It praises the stark realism and raw immediacy created by the film’s stripped-down approach.

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The Hollywood Reporter
11 May 2018 · festival review · David Rooney
30*

The critic finds the survival drama a slow, repetitive grind that struggles to sustain suspense. He praises Mads Mikkelsen’s compelling performance and the film’s crisp, persuasive cinematography.

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The New Yorker
25*

The critic finds the film a stale and overly earnest entry in the lone-survivor genre. They single out the inventive fishing rig as more engaging than the increasingly absurd survival challenges.

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The Skinny
6 March 2019 · ★★★★ · Gianni Marini
80

Marini finds the film an accomplished, moving survival story, though its straight-ahead approach can feel overly restrained. He particularly praises Mads Mikkelsen’s expressive performance, which conveys the character’s pain and humanity with almost no dialogue.

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The Wrap
31 January 2019
75*

The critic finds the survival thriller familiar in concept but bracingly executed, and praises Joe Penna’s thoughtful, visceral craft. Mads Mikkelsen’s physically demanding performance and the film’s quietly moving portrayal of altruism stand out.

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Collider
11 May 2018 · B- · Gregory Ellwood
70

Ellwood finds the film compelling but flawed, with its journey feeling more arduous than its ending justifies. He praises Mads Mikkelsen’s layered performance, which carries the sparsely characterized story.

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Eye for Film
10 December 2019 · Jennie Kermode
70*

Kermode finds the film highly watchable, despite slow patches and predictable story beats. She singles out Mads Mikkelsen’s performance for keeping the audience invested in the stranded man’s struggle.

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The Playlist
17 May 2018 · C+ · Jordan Ruimy
63

Ruimy finds the film admirable but stagnant, with its minimalism failing to distinguish it from stronger survival dramas. He praises Mads Mikkelsen’s expressive silent performance, while faulting the film’s slow pacing and late-arriving thrills.

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Ordered by the weight we give each publication, then by score. Scores are normalised to 100; * means inferred from an unrated review. Summaries are ours, not quotations; follow the links for the reviews themselves. How we rate